TOKYO: Japan is not making any preparations to postpone the 2020 Olympics, the government’s top spokesman said on Wednesday, stressing Tokyo’s resolve to host the event as scheduled despite the global spread of coronavirus.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government would continue with preparations to hold the July 24-August 9 Games as scheduled, working closely with organisations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“We’re not making any adjustments to postpone the Games,” Suga told parliament when asked by a lawmaker whether the government was making plans to cancel or postpone the event.

His comments come amid mounting concerns about whether the Games can proceed as planned, with the rapidly spreading virus panicking financial markets and bringing business and social activity around the world to a standstill. Many sports events have been cancelled or postponed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that Group of Seven leaders had agreed to support a “complete” Olympics, but dodged questions about whether any of the leaders had brought up the possibility of postponement.

The IOC has remained committed to staging the Tokyo Games as planned, saying on Tuesday after a meeting with international sports federations that measures against the virus were delivering results.

Tokyo 2020 organisers on Wednesday repeated that the Games were on as planned.

“Yesterday, we spoke to the IOC [executive] committee and we confirmed that we will have the Olympics and Paralympics as planned,” Toshiro Muto, chief executive of the organising committee told a briefing in Tokyo. “That decision has been agreed upon with all international federations.”

But the IOC is facing growing voices of dissent from top athletes worried about their health. The new coronavirus has so far killed more than 8,200 people and infected over 200,000 worldwide.

A plane sporting Tokyo 2020 livery left Japan to collect the Olympic flame from Athens without a high-level delegation onboard, reflecting the disruption the virus is causing to preparations for the Games.

The Olympic torch is set to arrive in Japan on Friday. The official start of the four-month relay around Japan begins on March 26 in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima.

Organisers are asking for a reduction in crowds along the torch route. If crowds are too large they could stop that leg, but organisers say they are determined to run the entire route until its end on July 24 at the new national stadium.

LITTLE-KNOWN SWIMMER TO RECEIVE FLAME

Little-known retired swimmer Naoko Imoto will be a last-minute stand-in to receive the Olympic flame in Athens on Thursday, Muto informed.

The Tokyo 2020 team had contacted Imoto, who lives in Greece, only hours before making the announcement on Wednesday.

Due to coronavirus concerns and travel restrictions placed on flying in and out of Europe, Tokyo 2020 had announced on Tuesday they would not be sending a delegation to Athens to receive the Olympic flame, as is customary for a host city.

Instead, they said, the Japanese ambassador to Greece would receive the flame on their behalf.

Just 24 hours later, however, Muto announced that Imoto, who was part of the Japanese team that competed in the 800 metres freestyle relay at the 1996 Atlanta Games, would take the flame.

Muto said the decision came following discussions with the International Olympic Committee and the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

“It was yesterday when we decided that we felt a Japanese person was necessary to undertake this role, during the three-party meeting. So, it has been one day [since the decision was taken],” Muto said.

In a local poll, 70% of Japanese said they believe the games will not open as scheduled.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that Olympics tickets might not be refundable, leading to successful applicants taking to social media with fears they might be left out of pocket.

Even if Japan can contain the coronavirus outbreak, the Summer Olympic Games “would not make sense” if other countries cannot send their athletes, Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said on Wednesday.

“As the prime minister said, it’s desirable to hold the Olympics in an environment where everyone feels safe and happy. But that’s not something Japan alone can decide,” Aso, who is also Japan’s finance minister, told parliament.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2020